When the email pinged in my inbox, the concept seemed like an odd idea, yet one of those ‘it’s so crazy it might just work’ odd ideas. I’m one of those people that loves to laugh at a good tribute act name. So when the words Radiodread popped up, it immediately caught my attention.
Easy Star All-Stars aren’t exactly a tribute act. In 2003, they made history with Dub Side of the Moon, a skanking cover of the Pink Floyd classic and oddly enough, yeah it worked. Floyd’s almost dark psychedelic sound lent itself surprisingly well to reggae. The New York groups next project was Radiodread, a track-by-track remake of Radiohead’s 1997 seminal album, OK Computer which saw Radiohead’s Thom Yorke praising it and Jonny Greenwood describing it as “truly astounding”.
The groups appearance at The Rescue Rooms was as part of a 10-year celebration since the release of their re-interpretation, revisiting the classic LP.
I’m not the biggest Radiohead fan. I find some of the music quite dreary, yet give it the Easy Star All-Star touch and it makes a dark subject more uplifting. Strong melodies carry through whatever the genre. It worked as a recording and it worked as a live performance. Easy Star All-Stars aren’t a reggae-karaoke type covers band. They’ve developed the concept way beyond that reworking the tracks into refreshing soulful melodies with their trademark complex arrangements and dynamic, dub-heavy moments to the extent that you would think they were their own compositions or some classic old reggae. The lyrics are essentially the same, but phrased differently to include some Jamaican patois and slightly altered to fit the style.
The reworkings went down a storm at the Rescue Rooms as they revisited the album along with Pink Floyd and Micheal Jackson also being given the Easy Star All-Star treatment. The band also gave us their first new material in nearly 4 years, a cover of the Radiohead hit ‘High And Dry’ this bunch of talented musicians working well together and rekindling their passion for their Oxford heroes, highlights being Money, Beat it and Paranoid Android. Overall an excellent, well crafted performance.
By Tanya Raybould
Editor
@tanyalouiseray
THE EASY STAR ALL-STARS Are:
Ivan Katz (drums) // Kirsty Rock (vocals) // Jenny Hill (sax/flute) // Buford O’Sullivan (trombone) // Ruff Scott (vocals) // Shelton Garner Jr. (guitar/vocals) // Ras Droppa (bass/vocals) // Matt Goodwin (keys/vocals) // Jonny Williams (dub mix) // Darren Morze (dub mix)
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